


what are you doing new year's eve?

by ajstyling



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Domtara, F/M, Fic Exchange, Himbo Zuko, background mailee - Freeform, this will get smutty, tinder au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:55:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28372755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajstyling/pseuds/ajstyling
Summary: Zuko doesn't want to ring in the new year alone. His only hope during this time of need: Tinder
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 90
Kudos: 249
Collections: Zutara Holiday Exchange 2020





	1. Zuko

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PoeticMoonSpirit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoeticMoonSpirit/gifts).



> Does the world need more zutara tinder AUs? Probably not. Will that stop me? Unfortunately no.
> 
> Sorry this is late poetic, hope you enjoy!
> 
> All thanks to [cablesscutie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cablesscutie/pseuds/cablesscutie) for the incredibly helpful beta! Finally, shout out to Kay and Liz, H.F.E <3

Zuko wiped at the corners of his eyes as credits rolled across the tv in front of him. “That ending always gets me.”

“Me too,” Ty Lee said from the other side of the couch. She wiped at her eyes as well, before curling up beneath Mai’s arm.

Zuko pushed up from the couch. Popcorn crumbs fell from his clothes as he rolled his neck and shook his arms. “So are we on for the same time next week?” 

Ty Lee glanced at Mai before turning back to Zuko then said, “So, next week is actually New Year’s Eve.”

“Oh,” Zuko said. “Did you want to go out together instead to celebrate?”

Mai sighed loudly and scowled at him but remained silent. “Actually, Mai and I were thinking that—maybe—we would do something a little different.”

Zuko shrugged. “Well, you know I’m always up for whatever.”

“Umm—“ Ty Lee started.

“We want to be alone,” Mai interrupted. 

Ty Lee caught sight of the frown on Zuko’s face and quickly added, “Not that we don’t love you and enjoy your company. It’s just that—”

“I’d like to bring in the new year by fucking my girlfriend and you are the world’s biggest cock block,” Mai said without a trace of irony. 

Ty Lee’s cheeks burned bright red, but she carried on. “I know you’re still sad about how things ended with Jin.” Zuko flinched at the mention of his ex. Ty Lee continued, “But maybe this will be a good chance to get back out there. I’m sure lots of people are looking for dates to bring to a New Year’s Eve party!”

The possible reasons for why Ty Lee thought that anyone was looking for a stranger to bring to a New Year’s Eve party escaped him. “How am I supposed to find someone to spend New Year’s Eve with?” Zuko asked for lack of any other thoughts.

“You’ve got Tinder,” Mai said. “Get busy swiping right.”

Zuko brought a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed absentmindedly. “Yeah, I don’t think Tinder is the place for me.” He gestured toward the gnarled, red skin on the left side of his face. “No one is interested in this.”

Ty Lee shifted from beneath Mai’s arms and moved across the couch. She gently laid a hand on Zuko’s forearm in a gesture of comfort. “Oh, Zuko. Your aura is so beautiful. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

“I had three friends come up to me at the Kiyoshi Warriors concert two months ago and express a disgusting amount of interest in you taking them home for the night,” Mai added. 

“Then please explain why I've found no matches on tinder?”

“Give me your phone.” Mai held an outstretched hand toward Zuko.

He reluctantly drew his phone from his pocket and tossed it to Mai. “The passcode is—”

“Got it.” Mai waved him off.

“How did you—?”

Mai shrugged and swiped through his phone. She looked up after several seconds of scrolling and tapping at the screen. “Well, I think I’ve found the problem.” She turned the phone so that all three of them could look at it. “You have no bio and your only photo is a blurry, zoomed out picture of you and your Uncle.”

“Uncle said I looked nice in it.”

Mai shook her head, muttering something that sounded an awful lot like _fucking idiot_ under her breath. “When it comes to love advice, never trust your uncle,” she said. 

Zuko jumped as Ty Lee clapped her hands together and squealed. “I’ve got an idea,” she declared. Zuko quirked an eyebrow, a silent question written across his face. Mai’s face matched his. “Mai,” Ty Lee continued, “first we are going to fix Zuko’s Tinder. Obviously he needs new photos and to actually include a bio. Then, Zuko, you are going to use that fixed Tinder to get a date for New Year’s Eve.”

“And then I’ll finally get laid,” Mai muttered just loudly enough that they all heard her. 

Zuko opened his mouth to offer his own thoughts on this ‘plan’ but Ty Lee had his camera roll open before he could speak.

“Obviously he should have the photo carrying the baby turtleduck,” she said.

“Do the one from last Christmas,” Mai added. “The one with the really tight knit sweater.”

Zuko sat silently as Mai and Ty Lee threw around ideas for a third and final photo. They settled on a group photo of Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee from Ember Island. Zuko had a toned body, they reasoned, may as well show it off. 

Mai tossed his phone back at him. “Now write a bio.”

“Do I have to?”

“Do you want to spend New Year’s Eve alone?”

“I don’t see why I can’t just tag along with you,” Zuko tried one final time.

“Write a fucking bio, Zuko.”

With a sigh he turned toward his phone, thinking for a moment, then settled on one of his uncle’s favorite quotes: _Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not._

Zuko rarely understood Iroh’s cryptic messages, but he had to admit that his uncle was alarmingly successful at flirting—sometimes uncomfortably so for Zuko. One of his weird sayings couldn’t hurt.

* * *

After finishing his ‘new and improved’ Tinder, Mai had kicked him out of her apartment unceremoniously. The look she gave Ty Lee as she closed the door left no doubt in his mind why she did so. 

The night was pleasantly cool and he opted to walk home. He pulled his phone out as he navigated the quiet streets. He hesitated for a moment before opening Tinder. Street lights shone around him as he half-heartedly flipped through profile after profile. He swiped right a few times, more out of a desire to have something to tell Mai and Ty Lee next time they hung out than anything else. 

A block away from his apartment he stopped in his tracks and stared down at his phone.

_Katara, 23  
Saving lives by moonlight, taking naps by daylight_

Her hair was long, sweeping across her back in dark, thick waves. She wore a white sundress that seemed to flow in the still photo and stood in contrast to her lovely dark skin. Zuko flicked to the next picture. His eyes shot open and he swallowed deeply as he looked at Katara standing beside a swimming pool in a bikini that matched the deep blue of her eyes. He flipped to the final photo before his mind got away from him. Katara stood next to another young woman with white hair and blue eyes. They wore matching scrubs and each held up a peace sign as they made faces at the camera. 

Zuko didn’t think about his scar and he didn’t think about New Year’s Eve. He swiped right before he could even form a coherent thought. He nearly threw his phone across the street when his phone flashed “It’s a Match!” 

He finished the rest of his walk in a daze. He typed, deleted, and re-typed one hundred messages. When he got into his apartment, he searched online for the best pickup lines, debated calling his uncle and then his sister, and flipped through Katara’s photos repeatedly. 

He looked up from his phone and was shocked to see that an hour had gone by. With a final deep breath, he steeled himself, typed out a message, and hit send.

_Hello, Zuko here!_


	2. Katara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year's Eve/New Year! 
> 
> Thanks to [cablesscutie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cablesscutie/pseuds/cablesscutie) for the beta read!!

_Hello, Zuko here!_

“Points for originality, I guess?” Yue tossed Katara’s phone back to her. “And honestly points for that sweater pic, because damn.”

“He told me his name. On an app that lets you see everyone’s name before deciding if you want to talk to them.”

“Seems like he has excellent manners!”

“He has a cheesy quote as his bio.”

“I think it’s sweet.”

Katara sighed, taking her phone back and sinking further into the stiff couch while glaring across the mostly empty call room at Yue. “You’re not helping.”

“How exactly did you want me to help?” Yue said, a bemused smirk settling across her face.

“Tell me how pathetic and awkward his message is. Convince me that my desire to message him back is boredom and an unbearably long dry spell.”

“Exactly how long are we talking about?”

“Not since Jiang,” Katara said, her expression somewhere between a wistful stare and a grimace.

“Oh, babes,” Yue said, “You _absolutely_ need to message him.”

Katara groaned. “Why must you encourage my worst impulses?”

Yue shrugged. “The worst thing that happens is he’s weird and you spend a night or two having shitty, awkward text conversations with him while staring at pictures of his abs.”

“And the best thing that could happen?”

“I don’t know.” Yue shrugged. “You spend New Year’s Eve getting the orgasm of your lifetime?” She looked down at the pager beeping in her lap. “Well, duty calls. Have fun texting Zuko. Don’t send any nudes I wouldn’t.” She winked at Katara before hurrying from the call-room.

Katara moved to the nearest bed, it was well after midnight and she was determined to get at least an hour of sleep before the barrage of pages began. As she lay in bed, her mind couldn’t get Zuko’s message from her mind. He hadn’t said “hey” or tried to send a dick pic. He hadn’t used one of the twelve recycled pick-up lines that every guy on tinder seemed to use. And Yue was right, that sweater photo did things to her. Before she could second guess herself she pulled her phone back out.

**_Hi, Zuko here_ **

_Hmmm, I already knew your name from your profile. Tell me something I don’t know_

_**I am not great at flirting and even worse at Tinder.**  
_ **_  
But apparently I’m_ _ruining my best friend’s  
ability to sleep with her girlfriend.  
  
_ _So, here I am._**

_omg 😂_  
_points for refreshing honesty_

**_I’m glad at least one of us finds my plight funny. Okay. Your turn._ **

_my turn??_

**_Yes. To tell me something I don’t know.  
  
_ **

Katara’s hand hovered above her phone. He was definitely awkward, but she found his honesty charming. And it really had been a long time since Jiang. Before she could think twice, she typed out a quick message and hit send.  
  


_that picture of you in the black sweater does things to me_

**_Things?_ **

_yes, things 😏_

**_Oh._ **

Katara watched with a bemused expression as “Zuko is typing” flashed across her screen, disappeared, flashed across her screen again, before disappearing once again. She rolled her eyes and drummed her fingers along the side of the phone, hoping he would muster up words before she was called away to deal with patients.  
  


_too much?_

**_No!!  
  
_** **_Sorry, you’re just really, really pretty.  
  
_ _I’m not used to really pretty girls complimenting me._ **

_is that a problem?_

**_Only for my ability to form coherent sentences._ **

  
_and you said you’re bad at flirting_

  
**_I guess you bring out the best in me?_ **

  
_i think that remains to be seen 😏  
_ _oh shit  
_ _i’m being paged. gotta get back to work_

**_Talk more soon?_  
**  
_**If you want to.**  
_  
**_No pressure, though._ **

_talk soon!_

**_GREAT!  
  
_** **_Sorry. Accidental caps._ **

_and here I thought you were just really excited_

_**That too. :)**  
  
_

Katara rolled her eyes, but walked out of the call room with a noticeable grin.

* * *

The week before New Year’s Eve was hell for Katara. Hahn—the senior resident/her ass of a boss/ Yue’s ex-boyfriend—chose this week of all weeks to assign her to surgeries with Dr. Pakku. Normally she would be grateful for the break from apendectomies, but unfortunately that break came with a wave of casual sexism from Pakku and ridiculous demands from Hahn.  
She coped with the stress by messaging Zuko and talking to Yue about messaging Zuko.

By the time she got off at 6am on New Year’s Eve and walked out of the hospital with Yue, she felt held together by little more than caffeine and rage.

“You know,” Yue said, “invitation is still open if you change your mind and want to come over tonight. We’ll have lots of booze and lots of people looking for a kiss to ring in the new year.”

“Thanks, but I’m good,” Katara said, checking her phone quickly. “I’m going to order takeout and then sleep for three days straight,”

The corners of Yue’s mouth curled into a smirk. “Is that code for staring at your phone until Zuko asks you out?”

“No,” Katara said as she shoved her phone inside her coat pocket. Her and Yue came to a halt at Katara’s bus stop.

“You can bring him as your plus one if you want,” Yue said.

“It’s New Year’s Eve,” Katara sighed. “He’s probably got plans.”

“Well, he’s an idiot if those plans don’t involve you,” Yue said. “If you change your mind, text me.” She waved at Katara as she turned and disappeared into the crowded sidewalk.

Her bus arrived a few minutes later and Katara’s phone buzzed as she stepped on.

_  
**Hey! Hope I’m not bothering you. I had a question.  
  
** _

Katara smiled at the phone in her hands and took a seat near the back of the mostly empty bus.  
  
  


_i can’t promise a coherent answer, but go ahead_

  
**_Haha! Why not?_ **

  
_just got done w/ a 24 hour shift_

  
**_😮 Woah._  
_  
Where do you work?_**

  
_that what you wanted to ask me? lol_

  
**_Haha no! I’m just curious._ **

  
_is this where you admit that you only swiped right to try and steal my identity?_

  
**_oMG! NO! I WOUld never.  
_ **  
**_Sorry, caps lock slip again._ **

  
_hmmm….. I’ll believe you, but only because you’re so cute_

  
**_You’ve really gotta stop telling me how attractive i am_ **

  
_hmmm… and why would I do that?_

  
**_So I can remember how to use words?_ **

  
_sounds boring_  
_i’d much rather make you lose your words_

  
**_How do you plan on doing that?_ **

_ask me again in 30 minutes_

Her phone sat silent for ten minutes before buzzing again as the bus came to stop a block from her apartment. She stepped off the bus and turned toward her apartment, checking her phone as she walked.

**_can I ask you my question while we wait?_ **

  
_hmmm…_ _i’ll allow it_

  
**_What’s someone like you doing on Tinder?_ **

  
_ummmm_

  
**_Sorry. I know that’s weird. I just can’t believe you’re single._ **

  
_i’ll let my ex know you said so 😂_

  
**_They must be an idiot._ **

  
_i’ll let her know that as well lol_

Katara stormed into her apartment, tossing her keys on the kitchen table and her scrubs on the floor of her bedroom. She meant what she said about making Zuko lose his words and hoped that might mean she could ‘lose’ her dry spell. First, though, she needed to wash 24 hours of hospital off her.

She hopped into the shower and let the warm water engulf her. The warmth spread between her legs as she thought about Zuko. She couldn’t explain why she found his bumbling awkwardness so attractive, but she couldn’t deny the thrill that ran through her as she showered. Her hand itched to slip between her legs and relieve some stress. Zuko’s pictures were fresh in her mind and, after the week she had, she definitely deserved it. It would be so simple. She knew it wouldn’t take much to lose herself to the image of Zuko’s hand ravishing her.

Her phone buzzed from the bathroom counter and it drew her from her fantasy. She turned off the water with a small sigh, pulling a towel from the shower rod to dry herself off. He better make this worth my while she thought as she stepped from the shower and grabbed her phone.

 _  
**Two minutes until you make me “lose my words.”  
  
Before you do that, ** **I thought I’d ask the question I really wanted to.  
  
Will you go out with me tonight?  
** _ _  
**I don’t want to pressure you. I just really like talking to you.  
** _ _  
**And you’re really pretty.  
  
** _ **_And I think I’d like to welcome the new year with you?  
_ **  
_**Only if you’re interested.  
  
****Of course, if I misread something I apologize and am fine leaving you alone.** _

Katara moved from the bathroom to her bedroom. Her towel joined her scrubs in a pile on the floor as she laid across her bed. She angled her phone and positioned her arms to capture the swell of her breasts and the pout of her lips.  
  


_  
hmmm… I’m not really feeling up to going out_

  
She hit send on her photo and laughed to herself. This was going to wreck him. She quickly typed out another message.  
  


_  
but maybe you could come over instead  
  
_

  
To her surprise, her phone buzzed only a little bit later. The corners of her mouth twitched up when she opened up Zuko’s message.  
  


**_fuck_ **

_that’s the idea._

_**when** _

_  
_ _tonight after 8_

  
**_Fuck, you’re really going to send me that pic then make me wait that long?_ **

  
😇 _  
if you’re patient, it will be worth your while_

  
**_Okay, I can be patient._ **

  
_good boy_

  
_**That’s not helping.  
  
** _ **_I’ll see you at 8:01_  
**  
  


She sent him her phone number and address before tossing her phone on her night stand and settling under the covers. Tossing and turning, she tried to banish the feeling of the warmth pooled between her legs. Tonight couldn’t come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come hang out with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ajstyyling) and [tumblr](https://ajstyyling.tumblr.com/)


	3. Zuko and Katara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the updated rating. There be smut here.
> 
> All thanks to [cablesscutie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cablesscutie/pseuds/cablesscutie) who wrote maybe the best zk tinder fic of all time and then graciously offered to beta mine. This fic is better because of her helpful edits. Any lingering mistakes are fully my own.

Katara woke from her nap hours later and realized that night comes a bit too quickly when you’re preparing for your first hookup in over a year.

Living without a roommate had its perks. There was no one to yell at her for leaving her bras scattered around the living room because the bedroom was several feet further away and seriously who wanted to wear one of those for a second longer than they had to. And there was no roommate to coordinate a hookup schedule with, so she _could_ fuck whenever—and in whatever room—she wanted. So far this benefit had been entirely theoretical, but the desk in her living room looked promising.

The downside to this freedom was that Katara _actually_ had to be prepared for fucking Zuko in any room. It was somewhat hard to remember all the fun ways they might use the kitchen table while washing and putting away her plate from dinner. After clearing the kitchen, she arranged her room, tossed in a load of laundry, and mentally catalogued all the places she might like to try having sex, all the while her phone sat conspicuously silent.

She glanced up at the clock in the living room once she was satisfied that she had straightened her apartment into Good To Fuck (GTF) shape and was shocked to find that it read 7:30.

A quick shower later, Katara stood before her closet debating the merits of each piece of lingerie she owned while checking her phone every minute to be sure that Zuko hadn’t suddenly decided he couldn’t make it.

She decided that the lace teddy seemed a bit much for a first meeting, and that while answering the door fully naked could help them skip past any awkward small talk, it seemed a bit risky. What if he wanted the pretense of putting on Netflix first? As the clock ticked closer and closer to 8, she finally settled on a satin teal robe which stopped at mid thigh.

Ten minutes later, Katara was sitting on the edge of the couch, eyes flickering between the door and her phone. She turned on the TV, turned it off, then turned it on again, her leg bouncing rhythmically as she did so.

Her phone vibrated at the same time the buzzer to her apartment sounded, loudly jarring her from her nervous musings. The phone in her hand buzzed with a second message.

The first text was from Zuko:

**_Hi. I’m here. I just buzzed._ **

Katara rolled her eyes then checked the time on the message: 8:02.

Moving from the couch to the intercom across the apartment, she read the other text which was from Yue.

_**Are you coming?** _

Katara paused in front of the intercom, took two deep breaths, and then buzzed Zuko in. Before moving to the door to wait for him to arrive at her apartment, she quickly sent Yue a message.

_**no. but if i get murdered, zuko is responsible** _

Yue’s response came quickly.

 _ **does this mean you *will* be coming soon?**_ 😏😏😏

Katara shook her head, but before she could respond another message from Yue came through.

 ** _Remember, he’s probably more nervous than you. Have fun and happy new year babes!_** ❤️

She moved into the living room, fussing with her hair and tugging at the bottom of her robe one more time before a series of light knocks against the door signaled Zuko’s arrival.

Pulling open the door and seeing him in person for the first time was a lot to take in. Katara’s head came up to his chin and gave her a perfect view of the edges of a tattoo peaking above the collar of his sweater—the very same sweater from his photos she was pleased to discover. He wore his hair in a small top knot, giving her an unobstructed view of his face.

Her eyes were drawn first to the mottled left side of his face. She had seen it in his photos, but it was always slightly out of focus. Up close, she could see that the gnarled skin stretched from his hairline to his cheek. Katara couldn’t help but find it striking. Quickly her eyes were drawn from his scar to his eyes, which were somewhere between honey and amber and filled with an intensity and earnestness that made her feel a bit like she was staring into the sun itself.

“Hi,” she breathed.

She watched as those beautiful eyes slipped downward, trailing slowly across her body and lingering everywhere her skin was exposed. His wandering gaze made her heart leap in her chest and her arousal spike. When he managed to lock eyes with her once more, Katara could see nothing but the burning desire written across his face.

He brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck and shifted from side-to-side awkwardly. “Hi there.”

Even when consumed by desire, he couldn’t help his awkwardness. A stray thought caused a smirk to tug at the corners of her mouth. He had no idea how beautiful he was, and that was an absolute crime. So she told him.

“I didn’t think it was possible, but you’re even prettier in person.”

She watched his throat bob and his unscarred cheek turn so red that it was hard to distinguish which side was which. “Thanks,” he said to the floor.

Smirking the whole time, and in hopes of seeing how flustered she could make him, she added, “It’s 8:02, though. So technically you’re late.”

His eyes shot wide and he somehow turned even more red. “I didn’t want to seem desperate.”

This time the laugh did slip out. “Ah, so you decided to be fashionably one minute late?”

A small, deep laugh spilled from him and Katara shivered involuntarily at the noise. “Something like that. Did it work?”

“No, but at least you didn’t say your name again,” she said and then paused. When he finally looked back up at her she added, “And I’m definitely alright with you being desperate for me.”

She turned back toward her living room and waved him in behind her. She stopped in front of the couch and turned to face him once more. A flicker of desire still lingered in his gaze, but it was accompanied by confusion as he took in the TV behind her.

“Oh,” he said, rubbing at his neck again. “Did you, uh, want to watch TV or something?”

Katara cursed to herself. She really should have kept the TV off and, if she’s being honest, probably just opened the door naked. “Not particularly. How about you?”

He swallowed deeply, his eyes tracing over her skin once more. “No. I don’t think I do.”

Taking a few steps toward him, until she was only inches away from him, she asked, “What do you want to do?”

As he closed the remaining distance between them, his eyes came to rest on her mouth and he said, “I really want to kiss you.”

“Please.”

Then his hands were on her, grabbing her side and cupping her cheek as he tilted his mouth down to meet hers. Even through her robe, his touch set every part of her aflame. Her arms settled around his neck, one of her hands snaking up, pulling free his hair and threading itself through it. She was delighted when a light tug at his hair managed to draw a moan from him.

Katara had her fair share of kisses. Jet’s kisses were rough and rushed, a pitstop on the road to the actual destination. Jiang’s kisses were coy and full of mirth, leaving Katara wanting more and more. There were many other kisses. Sweet, sloppy, and everything in between. As Zuko deepened the kiss, drawing a moan from her, she thought that his might outdo all the rest. How someone this awkward kissed this well was a mystery for Katara to solve another day. Today, as one of his hands slid from her hip to cup her ass, all she could think about was how much she wanted to feel his mouth elsewhere.

Kissing him was so good, but not enough. So, Katara pulled back. Zuko looked down at her with a questioning look written plainly across his face. “Something wrong?” he asked between breaths.

“Yes, you’ve got way too many clothes on.”

She barely finished saying this before he was tugging at his sweater and dragging it over his head. The bits of tattoo peaking above his sweater turned out to be the tail of a dragon which stretched across his collarbone and down his side, stopping just above his waist line. He stopped before discarding the sweater on the ground, “Uh, should we move to the bedroom or something?” If possible, the question made him flush an even deeper red.

“Sure, we can always come back to the desk for round two.”

“Fuck,” he muttered, shaking his head, in what she could only guess was an attempt to jar the image of her bent over the desk from his mind, and absentmindedly dropping his sweater on the living room floor.

Taking his hand, she pulled him toward her bedroom. She tugged him inside her room, not bothering to shut the door as she shoved him onto her bed. As he lay sprawled across the bed, Katara took a moment to rake her eyes across his exposed skin.

“Lose the pants,” she told him.

He didn’t need to be told twice, quickly kicking off his sneakers and socks before undoing his belt and shucking off his pants.

“Stop,” she instructed.

He stilled with his face flushed, breaths coming in rapid succession, and cock straining against his underwear.

She stood at the foot of the bed, relishing the way his eyes followed her every move as she slowly undid the front of her robe before sliding it from her shoulders and letting it fall to the ground.

“Beautiful,” he whispered as his eyes drank her in. His gaze fell to her breasts and the small metallic bars piercing her nipples. “Fuck. Katara. I—fuck.” Warmth pooled between her legs as he managed to drag his eyes further down to the curls between her thighs before trailing back up once more.

His stammering. His hungry gaze. His straining cock. All of it made her feel so powerful. “See something you like?” she asked with a smirk. She followed her question by sliding one of her hands down her body and between her thighs.

He nodded. Nodded again. Then groaned as she slid a single digit inside her wet folds. Then, at last, he seemed to remember his words. “Yes.”

Slipping a second finger inside herself she asked, “What do you like?”

“You,” he managed.

She slid her fingers from herself and moved onto the bed, crawling across it until she was hovering above him. “Clearly,” she teased, dragging her slick fingers along his stomach before palming his cock. He hissed and squirmed beneath her touch, clearly desperate for more. She pulled her hand back, tapping at her chin in feigned thoughtfulness. “I’ve got an idea. Well, more of a game.”

“Does it involve you touching me more?”

“That depends on if you behave.” Katara winked. “The game is called, ‘I want.’ It’s quite simple. I say something like, ‘I want those off.’” She nodded toward his boxer briefs then slid her hands beneath the waistband. He angled his hips off the bed so she could slide them off, tossing them to the floor where she hoped they would stay for quite a while. “Now your turn.”

“I want to kiss you,” he said quickly.

“I think you said that already.”

“I want to kiss you again, then.”

“I want you to say please,” she said with a devilish smile.

“I want to kiss you, please,” he whined.

She leaned forward again, capturing his lips and kissing him fiercely. They shared a moan as Katara ground herself against him.

Breaking for air, Zuko said, “I want to kiss you. Everywhere. Please.”

Quick learner that one, she thought to herself. “Kiss me everywhere then.”

With a deft move, he flipped them over so that her head fell against the pillows. He kissed her lips again before moving down, dragging his mouth along her collarbone as his thumb brushed over one of her hardened nipples.

His mouth continued its trail down her body. Her hands gripped at the bed sheets and she keened as he took one of her breasts in his mouth, laving his tongue across her nipple. She moaned and her body arched into his as his mouth went lower kissing her hip, the inside of her thighs, everywhere except the place she most needed his mouth.

She reached down, sinking her fingers into his beautiful hair. “I want you to kiss me here,” she said before pulling his head from her hip and pushing it between her legs.

She didn’t need to tell him twice before his tongue licked up and into her. This was convenient since any coherent words dissolved into a moan. Her hands clung to Zuko’s hair, each forceful tug making him whine with pleasure.

The curses and moans spilling from Katara’s mouth were the only guidance Zuko needed and he chased them with swipes of his tongue. A hot wave crashed through her when his mouth found her clit, encircling it with his tongue.

There was an ache building inside of her, growing with each flick of Zuko’s tongue. The ache reached a fever pitch when he slid a finger inside of her in perfect time with his tongue’s ministrations. She wanted to tell him how good his touch felt, to insist that he not stop—that he never stop, but as the pressure coiled tighter and tighter inside her, all she could manage was his name.

“Zuko. Fuck. Zuk—”

Then the pressure snapped and her orgasm was upon her, his name lost to an incoherent moan as she arched up into him, holding him against her pussy by his hair and using his mouth to ride out her high. At last, she let his hair fall from her grip and around his face. She shivered as he slowly pulled his finger out and began placing gentle kisses along her thighs.

He was a mess. Face flushed, hair falling haphazardly around his face, with his chin and lips slick with her arousal, he looked up at her without even trying to wipe his face. Such a pretty mess.

“Did you like that?” he asked.

Katara couldn’t help it. She laughed. Loud, bubbly, perhaps a bit delirious from her recent orgasm. From someone else, she might have assumed he was fishing for compliments. But even as he licked at his lips, seemingly desperate to savour her taste, he fixed her with such a genuine look that she knew the question was real. Had no one ever told him how good he was at that?

Your ex must have been a real asshole, she thought to herself.

She pushed herself to her knees. “Come here,” she said, crooking a finger at him. He pushed to his knees and joined her in the middle of the bed. She reached out a hand, swiping two fingers across his chin. “Do you see this?” she nodded toward her fingers, slick with her own arousal. He nodded silently. “You did that.” She dropped her fingers, dragging a slick trail along his throat and collarbone. Eyes tracing the movement of her hand, he nodded again. “You made me feel so good,” she added before dragging her fingers back up and pressing them against his lips. “Good boy,” she said as he opened his mouth, wordlessly cleaning off her fingers with his tongue.

“You are the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” he sighed.

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she said with a wink. Her eyes trailed down his toned core to where his cock strained between his legs, thick and long with wetness gathering at his head.

“Will it get me to taste you again?”

“Later.” She gestured toward the head of the bed. “Now lay down. I want to taste you.”

“Your wish is my command,” he said, quickly throwing himself back against the pillows.

“Be careful,” Katara said between kisses pressed to his throat, “I can think of a lot of wishes.”

“Fuck,” Zuko hissed as she nipped at his collarbone. “That’s sort of what I was hoping for,” he managed at last. “It is New Years Eve after—”

She stole his words by running a finger along his length. Her mouth travelled lower and lower, until it hovered just above his cock. She took him in her hand and stroked him up and down, relishing the way his cock throbbed beneath her touch.

“Fuck,” he cursed as she pressed a light kiss to his tip.

Looking up from where her mouth hovered a hairsbreadth above his cock, she said, “I want to see how much of you I can take.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he muttered, eyes closing and head falling back against the pillow.

“And I want you to watch.”

He sat up, eyes blown wide, and she instantly wrapped her lips around him. A cry slipped from his lips as she took more of him in her mouth and swallowed around him. She pulled back for a moment, a strand of spit running from her mouth to the tip of his cock. She took one of his hands and placed it firmly on the back of her head before she took him in her mouth once more. He felt huge inside her mouth. Moans and curses slipped from Zuko’s lips, filling Katara’s room along with the wet sound of her mouth on his cock.

“Katara, wait,” he choked.

She pulled back, flicking her tongue across his tip before letting his cock fall from her mouth. “Yes?” she asked.

“I—you—I can’t hold out much longer,” he managed at last.

She flashed him a wicked grin. “Well, I _do_ want to taste you.” His body shivered and his cock twitched beneath her.

“I want—I _need_ to be inside you.”

“Impatient?” she teased, sliding her body up until she was straddling his hips.

“Very.”

“Once again, refreshingly honest.” With slow, measured movements, she ground herself against him.

“Please,” he whined.

“And with such good manners.” She reached down, pressing the tip of his cock against her entrance before sinking herself onto him. Zuko’s hips stilled, letting her set the pace as his hands moved to support her.

“Fuck,” they said at the same time as he bottomed out inside her.

Slowly—so, so slowly, she began to rock against him. As she moved up and down, his hands gripped at her thighs. He buried his face between her breasts, lavishing them with the adoration of his tongue. Pulling back for just a moment he whispered, “God you are so beautiful.” And then his mouth was back on her once more.

He had felt huge inside her mouth and somehow even bigger inside her pussy, filling her up in the best way possible. She settled into his size, gradually rocking her hips back and forth faster and faster. He began to meet each of her movements with a thrust of his own. Cries rang forth from her as she rode him, filling the apartment, and possibly the hallway outside, with the sounds of her pleasure. Zuko responded with her name, muttered repeatedly like a prayer.

A pleasant pressure settled low in her belly once again, building and building in time with Zuko’s thrusts. She was close. So close. She reached between her legs, fingers circling her clit in a desperate search for the last bit of friction she needed.

“Please,” Zuko managed. “I want you to come.”

His pleading was the final straw, tipping her over the edge and making her come undone around his cock with a loud cry.

As she rode out her peak, his words slipped into a filthy litany, each bit of praise punctuated with a thrust. “Katara, you are so tight. And amazing. And feel so good. And fu—”

He came with a strangled shout that sounded like her name, spilling inside her with a series of stuttering thrusts before stilling. Slowly, Katara lifted herself off his length, moaning quietly as his cock slipped from her.

She rolled to the side of the bed and flopped down. Zuko gently rubbed small circles into her skin.

“You are so beautiful when you come,” he whispered.

She turned to face him with a grin. “So are you.”

He blushed, running a hand through his hair.

“Don’t tell me you’re still nervous?” Katara asked, catching his movements.

He nodded toward her, running his eyes across her still naked body. “Can you blame me?”

Katara reached out a hand, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling his face toward her. “You have nothing to be nervous about.” She punctuated her words with a soft kiss.

“Uh does this mean I don’t have to leave?”

“Are you kidding me?” Katara said, gesturing toward the clock on the wall. “It’s not even midnight. We said we would ring in the new year together.”

“I really need to thank Mai,” he muttered.

“Mai?”

“The friend I was cockblocking.”

Peals of laughter spilled from Katara’s lips. “Maybe you should be apologizing instead?”

With a clearly exaggerated pout, Zuko said, “I will not apologize for enjoying a good romantic comedy.” Katara gave him a questioning look, but he brushed past it. “But I will say thank you for making me use Tinder.”

Katara smiled. “To be fair, you should probably thank her on my behalf as well.”

“Will do.” He looked down at her, his warm gaze filling her with hope that maybe this next year wouldn’t be so bad. “So what did you have in mind? I don’t think many places are open without reservations, but we could always pick up a bottle of wine or something. Oh, or I could see if my sister could get us in someplace... ”

Katara tapped her chin as Zuko rambled off a list of things that maybe, possibly were open and they could do. “Zuko.” She stilled his rambling with a hand on his chest. “Tomorrow, I’ll let you take me on whatever date you want.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Well what do you want to do tonight then?”

Katara smirked, dropping her hand between his legs. “There’s a desk in my living room and I really think we need to put it to good use.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I apologize for my inconsistencies in the text message formatting. You may surmise that my passion does not lie in figuring out that level of HTML coding. 
> 
> Second, a huge thank you to everyone who read this fic! This is the first multi-chapter story I have ever finished, which is exciting. 
> 
> Stan zutara forever!
> 
> Come hang out with me!  
> Tumblr: [@ajstyyling](https://ajstyyling.tumblr.com/)  
> Twitter: [@ajstyyling](https://twitter.com/ajstyyling)

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 and 3 coming later this week! 
> 
> Tumblr: [@ajstyyling](https://ajstyyling.tumblr.com/)  
> Twitter: [@ajstyyling](https://twitter.com/ajstyyling)


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